Stop Using Propagandists - GBA

Mr Frank Beecham - GBA President

The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has urged media houses to utilise the services of experts to inform public opinion on important national issues.

It said the practice whereby media houses relied on partisan propagandists in the discussion of such national issues often resulted in the public being misled through misinformation.

The President of the GBA, Mr Frank Beecham, who made the call at a news conference in Accra, also urged members of the association to desist from the unprofessional practice of arguing cases pending before the courts in the media.

He said legal practitioners should rather utilise appropriate legal processes to address any dissatisfactions regarding the decisions of the courts.

He expressed regret at the growing unethical practice of some lawyers who argued cases in the media when the courts had given judgments they did not agree with, saying, “They can do so using due processes to ventilate such grievances.”

According to him, the independence and integrity of the Judiciary was a basic condition for the rule of law, an impact on national development and the proper administration of justice and strengthening of democracy.

He said much as decisions taken by the courts might be subjected to scrutiny and fair and just criticism, unsubstantiated comments regarding cases on trial and impugning corruption to judges did not only go to undermine the rule of law but also eroded public confidence in the Judiciary.

Mr Beecham explained that the growing populist culture of engaging in debates in the media put a smack on the integrity of the legal profession, while the imposition on persons whom allegations had been made to prove their innocense burdened the principles of the judicial system.

“Whenever issues implicating the law arise during public debates, lawyers ought to situate the matter within its confines, devoid of emotions and prejudices,” he stated.

He also charged the Electoral Commission (EC) to ensure the proper validation of the biometric register to promote free, fair and transparent elections in 2012.

According to him, there was the need for the EC to make use of the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPECAC) to ensure that all legitimate concerns of all stakeholders informed its decision in the conduct of the polls.

He described the use of intemperate language by politicians and personal attacks in the media as a threat to democracy and the peace of the nation and urged media houses to live up to their responsibility as gatekeepers, particularly regarding panel discussions and phone-in segments on radio.

He equally called on political parties to take a clear unambiguous stance on the dangerous trend of intolerance, personality attacks and downright lies against opponents.

Mr Beecham charged the government to develop institutions and the human resource capacity of Ghanaians to ensure that the economy and the citizenry enjoyed optimum gains from Ghana’s resources towards accelerated growth.

He also called on the security agencies to develop clear directives and mandates for the respective agencies to ensure that each agency operated within its legal and institutional mandates.

While urging members of the Bar to work in harmony with the Bench, Mr Beecham also stressed the need for the performance of the Bench to be strengthened, particularly in the delivery systems.